Mumias Columns & Prison Radio comments

[col. writ. 7/7/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
The scenes are, unfortunately, all too familiar.
 A person is beaten, ruthlessly, relentlessly, by a cop (or group of cops).
 A video is released, and, at least initially, public sympathy flows to the beaten figure on the bottom.
 Before long, however, the counter-narrative emerges, the beaten was belligerent, combative, resisted arrest -or, worst of all, was on drugs!
 Then, the story goes […]

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LESSONS UNLEARNED FROM (RECENT) HISTORY
 [col. writ. 6/29/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 One would think that after the hellish debacle of Iraq, the primary role of the corporate media, that of Chief Cheerleader, would’ve given rise to soul-searching, or at least professional reconsideration and training of young journalists.
If the news of late is any indication, that ain’t happening.
Check any news service, and no doubt you’ll see […]

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HOBBY LOBBY: Son of Citizens United
[col. writ. 7/2/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
  The Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby decision, which protected a closely held corporation’s right of religious practice, is a direct result of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
It was an affirmation of a corporation’s First Amendment rights, which rests upon the rather curious notion that corporations are persons, and thereby entitled […]

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http://www.jungewelt.de/2014/06-28/035.php

 
PERILS OF EMPIRE
 When the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq, predicated on the events of 9/11, it was the very quintessence of hubris.
Neo-conservatives dreamed of remaking the Middle East in their own image. It was, in truth, a mad dream. A nightmare born of the drug of sole superpower.
It’s been a decade since, and none of their dreams have come true. Indeed, it’s quite […]

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[col. writ. 6/23/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 In a matter of days, a tiny, rag-tag group of militiamen have changed the map of Iraq.
Calling themselves (oddly enough), ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), (odd because ‘isis’ is the Grecian name of an ancient Egyptian goddess).  They have used pick-up trucks, automatic rifles, no air power and little more than will to take over […]

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[col. writ. 6/20/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 With the news that President Barack Obama is now sending 300 military advisers back into Iraq (identified as Special Forces), we may be eyeing the beginning of a new phase in the Iraq War.
The war, we have been assured, is over, and the bulk of U.S. troops have been withdrawn. Thus, the president can claim one of his campaign […]

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[col. writ. 6/19/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
His name is Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, A Muslim Imam, and a prisoner of the U.S. government.
But perhaps he is better known (or remembered) as a fiery young icon of the 1960s-era Black Power movement, H. ‘Rap’ Brown. He was called ‘Rap’ because of his quick, snappy style of speech, when he gave voice to the most oppressed Black communities […]

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[col. writ. 6/15/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 Lightning strikes. Those are the words that came to me as I witnessed the speed with which the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was rolling through northern Iraq, forcing government forces to flee.
The cities of Mosul, Samarah, Tikrit and others fell in a matter of days, with nothing but token resistance from the central government.
Photos appeared of […]

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[col. writ. 6/13/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court decided that mandatory life sentences for juveniles was a violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment”.
Ever since then almost a dozen states have resolved how their states should address retroactivity issues, or whether this new constitutional rule applied to older cases.
Six states have decided yes -including, for example, […]

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 [col. writ.  6/12/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 Her name was Ruby Dee (‘D’) – for Davis), and though she made her transition into the realm of the ancestors, she is available for all to see in all her beauty, dignity, charm and poise, for a long and distinguished career on stage, screen and television.
Despite such a long and legendary career as an actress, one would […]

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[col. writ. 6/11/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal

Congressman Eric Cantor, Republican Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, has been knocked off his perch and out of his seat in a surprise primary result borne by a virtually unknown challenger, and economics professor, Dave Brat.
Cantor, the heir-apparent to become the next House Speaker, never saw it coming, especially after 7 successful elections.
Professor Brat beat the […]

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http://www.jungewelt.de/2014/06-07/030.php

 IRAQ: Recipe for Disaster
[col. writ. 6/10/14] ©’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal

As these words are being formed, Iraq is a site of disaster.
 The northern city of Mosul is falling to armed Islamic militants. Bombings are increasing with frequency and ferocity, claiming more and more lives.
 And Iraq’s military are so uneven to the task that they are dropping weapons, ditching their uniforms – and fleeing!
 Nearly $800 billion dollars […]

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[col. writ. 6/4/14] © ’14 Mumia Abu-Jamal
 For the American captive of the Taliban, U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the homecoming he has long dreamed of may be more bitter than sweet.
 For, on the day of the announcement of his release from his Afghanistan captors, before a full swell of celebration could grow, came claims of his desertion – and even calls for his imprisonment in […]

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